Work machine

ABSTRACT

A work machine according to this invention includes a power source incorporated in a vehicle body, an extended portion extended from the vehicle body to form a grip portion and configured to be folded with respect to the vehicle body, a lock portion provided to lock the extended portion when the extended portion is folded with respect to the vehicle body, and an activation suppressing portion configured to suppress activation of the power source if the extended portion is locked by the lock portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Japanese PatentApplication No. 2020-039908 filed on Mar. 9, 2020, the entire disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a work machine.

Description of the Related Art

In some of work machines such as a lawn mower, a grip portion isprovided on an extended portion extended from a vehicle body. Theextended portion is made foldable with respect to the vehicle body, andif the work machine is not used, the extended portion is folded to storethe work machine (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 53-29741).

It is thought that there is demand for further improvement in usabilitywhen storing the work machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve usability whenstoring a work machine.

One of the aspects of the present invention provides a work machine,comprising a power source incorporated in a vehicle body, an extendedportion extended from the vehicle body to form a grip portion andconfigured to be folded with respect to the vehicle body, a lock portionprovided to lock the extended portion when the extended portion isfolded with respect to the vehicle body, and an activation suppressingportion configured to suppress activation of the power source if theextended portion is locked by the lock portion.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic view showing a state in which a work machineaccording to an embodiment is usable;

FIG. 1B is a schematic view showing a state in which the work machinecan be stored;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing a form when folding an extendedportion;

FIG. 2B is a schematic view showing a form when folding the extendedportion; and

FIG. 2C is a schematic view showing a form when folding the extendedportion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments are notintended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, and limitation isnot made an invention that requires all combinations of featuresdescribed in the embodiments. Two or more of the multiple featuresdescribed in the embodiments may be combined as appropriate.Furthermore, the same reference numerals are given to the same orsimilar configurations, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views showing the overall arrangement of awork machine 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a state inwhich the work machine 1 is usable, and FIG. 1B shows a state in whichthe work machine 1 can be stored (a state in a case in which the workmachine 1 is not used), as will be described later in detail.

The work machine 1 includes a power source 11, a work portion 12, atraveling portion 13, a battery 14, a battery case 15, an extendedportion 16, a lock portion 17, and an activation suppressing portion 18.

The power source 11 is incorporated in a vehicle body 10, and generatespower (rotation) to drive the work portion 12 and the traveling portion13, as will be described later in detail. In this embodiment, anelectric motor such as a three-phase induction motor is used as thepower source 11, and the electric motor operates based on power from thebattery 14 to be described later.

Note that in this embodiment, the single power source 11 is provided. Asanother embodiment, a power source configured to generate power to betransmitted to the work portion 12 and a power source configured togenerate power to be transmitted to the traveling portion 13 mayindividually be provided. In this case, one power source may be anelectric motor, and the other power source may be an internal combustionengine.

The work portion 12 is provided in the lower portion of the vehicle body10, and configured to execute a predetermined work based on the power ofthe power source 11. In this embodiment, the work contents are lawnmowing works, and the work portion 12 includes a lawn mowing bladerotatable based on the power of the power source 11, and an elevatingmechanism capable of moving the blade up and down. For example, whenexecuting a work, the work portion 12 lowers the work blade and sets itin a rotation state (operating state). When a work is not to beexecuted, the work portion 12 raises the blade and sets it in anon-rotation state (inactive state).

The traveling portion 13 is provided to implement the traveling functionof the work machine 1 based on the power of the power source 11, and inthis embodiment, includes a pair of left and right rear wheels that aredriving wheels, and a pair of left and right front wheels that aredriven wheels. Note that the traveling portion 13 may employ anotherstructure such as a crawler traveling body in place of theabove-described structure capable of implementing four-wheel traveling.

The battery 14 is detachably attached to the vehicle body 10, and cansupply power to the power source 11. As the battery 14, for example, asecondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a lead storagebattery can be used.

The battery case 15 is provided in the upper portion of the vehicle body10 to store the battery 14. The battery case 15 is provided to beopened/closed with respect to the vehicle body 10, and may bediscriminated into a case main body 150 and a cover 151 that can beopened/closed with respect to the case main body 150 from thisviewpoint. The cover 151 is provided on the opposite side of the vehiclebody 10 with respect to the case main body 150.

The extended portion 16 includes a pair of left and right rod-shapedmembers 161, a grip portion 162, and an operation portion 163. The pairof left and right rod-shaped members 161 are extended from both lateralsides of the vehicle body 10 to the upper rear side. The pair of leftand right rod-shaped members 161 are connected to each other at aposition apart from the vehicle body 10 (that is, the rear end portion),thereby forming the grip portion 162.

In addition, the operation portion 163 is a lever (for example, a clutchlever, a brake lever, or the like) used to perform driving control ofthe work portion 12 and/or traveling control of the traveling portion13, and is provided near the grip portion 162 to pivot with respect tothe grip portion 162. Hence, the user can perform driving control of thework portion 12 and/or traveling control of the traveling portion 13 byoperating the operation portion 163 while gripping the grip portion 162.

The operation portion 163 is configured to individually control the workportion 12 and the traveling portion 13. For example, the user can setthe work portion 12 in the operating state and the traveling portion 13in the inactive state, or set the work portion 12 in the operating stateand the traveling portion 13 in a traveling state (operating state). Inthis case, as the operation portion 163, a lever used to do drivingcontrol of the work portion 12 and a lever used to do traveling controlof the traveling portion 13 need only individually be provided.

Although a detailed description will be omitted, a predetermined switchis provided on a side surface of the grip portion 162. In a state inwhich a key is inserted into the battery case 15, the user operates theoperation portion 163 while pressing the switch (performs a so-calledtwo-step operation), thereby performing driving control of the workportion 12 and/or traveling control of the traveling portion 13. It canbe said that this arrangement is advantageous in improving safety interms of operation.

Here, the pair of left and right rod-shaped members 161 are attached topivot with respect to the vehicle body 10, and the extended portion 16can thus be folded with respect to the vehicle body 10. A state in whichthe extended portion 16 is not folded with respect to the vehicle body10 corresponds to a state in which the work machine 1 is usable (seeFIG. 1A). A state in which the extended portion 16 is folded withrespect to the vehicle body 10 corresponds to a state in which the workmachine 1 can be stored (a state in a case in which the work machine 1is not used) (see FIG. 1B).

The lock portion 17 is provided to lock the extended portion 16 when theextended portion 16 is folded with respect to the vehicle body 10. Inthis embodiment, a gap S1 is provided between the vehicle body 10 andthe battery case 15, and the lock portion 17 is provided on the batterycase 15 in the gap S1. The operation portion 163 of the extended portion16 is locked by the lock portion 17, and the lock portion 17 is a pushswitch, as will be described later in detail.

The activation suppressing portion 18 is configured to suppressactivation of the power source 11 when the extended portion 16 is lockedby the lock portion 17. As one form, the activation suppressing portion18 may block the power supply path (electric path) from the battery 14to the power source 11. For example, when the extended portion 16 islocked by the lock portion 17, the activation suppressing portion 18 caneject the battery 14 from the battery case 15. Before this, theactivation suppressing portion 18 sets the battery case 15 in an openstate.

In a state in which the extended portion 16 is folded with respect tothe vehicle body 10, the battery case 15 is located between the pair ofleft and right rod-shaped members 161. For this reason, opening of thebattery case 15 and ejection of the battery 14 from the battery case 15by the activation suppressing portion 18 can appropriately beimplemented.

According to this arrangement, the user can perform a work by settingthe work machine 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1A, setting the workportion 12 in the operating state, and making the work machine 1 travelwhile gripping the grip portion 162. From this viewpoint, the workmachine 1 can also be called a walking type work machine, a hand workmachine, or the like. When a work has ended, the user can store the workmachine 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1B.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are schematic views showing a form when folding theextended portion 16 with respect to the vehicle body 10.

First, in a step shown in FIG. 2A, the user folds the extended portion16 with respect to the vehicle body 10, and makes the operation portion163 pivot in a direction of moving close to the grip portion 162, asindicated by an arrow A1. The user can thus move the operation portion163 to a position under the battery case 15 without making the operationportion 163 interfere with the battery case 15.

After that, in a step shown in FIG. 2B, the user returns the operationportion 163 to the original position (that is, makes the operationportion 163 pivot in a direction of separating from the grip portion162), thereby making the operation portion 163 locked by the lockportion 17, as indicated by an arrow A2.

In accordance with the lock of the operation portion 163 by the lockportion 17, in a step shown in FIG. 2C, the activation suppressingportion 18 sets the battery case 15 in an open state, as indicated by anarrow A3. Accordingly, the battery 14 is ejected from the battery case15, as indicated by an arrow A4. According to this, the user canappropriately detach the battery 14 from the vehicle body 10.

In this embodiment, a push switch is used as the lock portion 17, andthe switch is pushed by the lock (or abutment). The activationsuppressing portion 18 need only be formed by a known mechanicalstructure using, for example, a spring, a link mechanism, or the like,and thus sets the battery case 15 in an open state in accordance withpush of the switch and ejects the battery 14 from the battery case 15.According to this arrangement, opening of the battery case 15 andejection of the battery 14 when the extended portion 16 is folded withrespect to the vehicle body 10 can be implemented by a relatively simplestructure.

Conventionally, the user has been able to open the battery case 15 andeject the battery 14 by folding the extended portion 16 with respect tothe vehicle body 10, and manually pushing the push switch serving as thelock portion 17.

According to this embodiment, when the extended portion 16 is foldedwith respect to the vehicle body 10, opening of the battery case 15 andejection of the battery 14 are implemented. Hence, any other mechanismconfigured to implement these need not be provided anew.

As another embodiment, in the step shown in FIG. 2A, the operationportion 163 may be made to pivot not by a manual operation of the userbut by interference with the battery case 15. In this case, in the stepshown in FIG. 2B, the operation portion 163 is returned to the originalposition. Additionally, in the step shown in FIG. 2C, the battery case15 is set in the open state, and accordingly, the battery 14 is ejectedfrom the battery case 15.

Note that the directions of the arrows A1 to A4 are not limited to theexamples shown in FIG. 2A to 2C. For example, the direction of the arrowA1 can be changed depending on the relative positions of the gripportion 162 and the operation portion 163, the pivot direction of thegrip portion 162, the push direction of the push switch serving as thelock portion 17, and the like. This also applies to the remaining arrowsA2 to A4.

According to this arrangement, when the work machine 1 is set in thestate shown in FIG. 1B, the power source 11 is not erroneouslyactivated. Hence, the user can appropriately store the work machine 1.Hence, according to this embodiment, usability when storing the workmachine 1 improves.

Note that the work machine 1 may be configured to be maintained in anerected posture at the time of storing. That is, for example, apredetermined support portion may be provided in the rear portion of thevehicle body 10 so that the extended portion 16 folded with respect tothe vehicle body 10 can be set in a vertical posture. This can reducethe space needed to store the work machine 1.

In the embodiment, a lawn mower has been exemplified as the work machine1. However, an example of the work machine 1 is not limited to this.

That is, the contents of the embodiment can also be applied to a snowplow including an auger as the work portion 12, and can also be appliedto an agricultural work machine such as a cultivator.

As has been described above, for the sake of facilitating understanding,each element is illustrated using a name associated with its function.However, each element is not limited to an element having the contentsdescribed in each embodiment as the main function, but may include anelement having the contents described in each embodiment as an auxiliaryfunction.

Features of the embodiment will be summarized below.

According to the first aspect, there is provided a work machine (forexample, 1) comprising a power source (for example, 11) incorporated ina vehicle body (for example, 10), an extended portion (for example, 16)extended from the vehicle body to form a grip portion (for example, 162)and configured to be folded with respect to the vehicle body, a lockportion (for example, 17) provided to lock the extended portion when theextended portion is folded with respect to the vehicle body, and anactivation suppressing portion (for example, 18) configured to suppressactivation of the power source if the extended portion is locked by thelock portion. According to the first aspect, since the power source isnot erroneously activated, the user can appropriately store the workmachine. Hence, usability when storing the work machine improves.

In the second aspect, the work machine is further comprising a battery(for example, 14) configured to supply power to the power source,wherein the activation suppressing portion blocks a power supply pathfrom the battery to the power source if the extended portion is lockedby the lock portion. According to the second aspect, it is possible toappropriately prevent a situation in which the power source iserroneously activated.

In the third aspect, the work machine is further comprising a batterycase (for example, 15) provided to be opened/closed with respect to thevehicle body and store the battery, wherein the activation suppressingportion sets the battery case in an open state if the extended portionis locked by the lock portion. According to the third aspect, it ispossible to relatively easily extract the battery from the battery case.

In the fourth aspect, the activation suppressing portion ejects thebattery from the battery case if the extended portion is locked by thelock portion. According to the fourth aspect, it is possible toappropriately prevent a situation in which the power source iserroneously activated.

In the fifth aspect, a gap (for example, S1) is provided between thevehicle body and the battery case, and the lock portion is provided onthe battery case in the gap. According to the fifth aspect, it ispossible to lock the extended portion by the lock portion when theextended portion is folded.

In the sixth aspect, the extended portion is provided such that a pairof left and right rod-shaped members (for example, 161) are extendedfrom both lateral sides of the vehicle body, and the pair of left andright rod-shaped members are connected to each other at a position apartfrom the vehicle body to form the grip portion, and in a state in whichthe pair of left and right rod-shaped members are folded with respect tothe vehicle body, the battery case is provided to be located between thepair of left and right rod-shaped members. According to the sixthaspect, it is possible to relatively easily extract the battery from thebattery case.

In the seventh aspect, the extended portion includes an operationportion (for example, 163) as a portion that can be locked by the lockportion. According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to relativelyeasily lock the extended portion by the lock portion.

In the eighth aspect, the operation portion comprises a lever (forexample, 163) provided to pivot with respect to the grip portion.According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to relatively easily lockthe extended portion by the lock portion.

In the ninth aspect, the lock portion comprises a push switch (forexample, 163). According to the ninth aspect, it is possible toimplement suppression of activation of the power source by theactivation suppressing portion by a relatively simple structure.

The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and variousvariations/changes are possible within the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A work machine comprising: a power sourceincorporated in a vehicle body; an extended portion extended from thevehicle body to form a grip portion and configured to be folded withrespect to the vehicle body; a lock portion provided to lock theextended portion when the extended portion is folded with respect to thevehicle body; and an activation suppressing portion configured tosuppress activation of the power source if the extended portion islocked by the lock portion.
 2. The work machine according to claim 1,further comprising a battery configured to supply power to the powersource, wherein the activation suppressing portion blocks a power supplypath from the battery to the power source if the extended portion islocked by the lock portion.
 3. The work machine according to claim 2,further comprising a battery case provided to be opened/closed withrespect to the vehicle body and store the battery, wherein theactivation suppressing portion sets the battery case in an open state ifthe extended portion is locked by the lock portion.
 4. The work machineaccording to claim 3, wherein the activation suppressing portion ejectsthe battery from the battery case if the extended portion is locked bythe lock portion.
 5. The work machine according to claim 3, wherein agap is provided between the vehicle body and the battery case, and thelock portion is provided on the battery case in the gap.
 6. The workmachine according to claim 3, wherein the extended portion is providedsuch that a pair of left and right rod-shaped members are extended fromboth lateral sides of the vehicle body, and the pair of left and rightrod-shaped members are connected to each other at a position apart fromthe vehicle body to form the grip portion, and in a state in which thepair of left and right rod-shaped members are folded with respect to thevehicle body, the battery case is provided to be located between thepair of left and right rod-shaped members.
 7. The work machine accordingto claim 1, wherein the extended portion includes an operation portionas a portion that can be locked by the lock portion.
 8. The work machineaccording to claim 7, wherein the operation portion comprises a leverprovided to pivot with respect to the grip portion.
 9. The work machineaccording to claim 1, wherein the lock portion comprises a push switch.